The state Commerce Department has unveiled an online dashboard that will include monthly updates regarding COVID-19’s impacts on the Washington State economy.

The site includes data to measure various impacts on the economy.

A few highlights include:

• Two months after reopening efforts began, Washington’s employment decline is still 30% greater than the lowest point in the Great Recession a decade ago.
• Unemployment trends in Washington State are tracking similarly with most other states with a steep drop through April and slow but steady growth since May.
• While construction has recovered 80% of lost jobs as of June, leisure and hospitality has only recovered about one-third of job losses and is the hardest hit of all industries.

The tool uses a variety of data sources to track Washington State’s economic recovery and resiliency. It displays the latest available data on employment, businesses, government assistance programs and consumer behavior, helping monitor the economic impact of COVID-19 across our state.

Commerce Director Lisa Brown said work is underway to improve the user experience.

Asked her opinion on the length of economic recovery from the pandemic, Brown said: “We anticipate, based on economic recessions that have happened similar to this in the United States and other countries, that we’re potentially looking at a couple of years, or maybe as much as three or four years, for economic activity to resume at pre-COVID levels.”